Eurovision Dance Contest 2008
Encyclopedia
The Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 was the second Eurovision Dance Contest
and was held in Glasgow
, Scotland
, United Kingdom
, hosted by BBC Scotland
on 6 September.
The winner of contest was Poland
who achieved a score of 154 points. 2nd place went to Russia
, 3rd place to Ukraine
, 4th place to Lithuania
and 5th place to Azerbaijan
who were participating for the first time.
In a change to the rules, professional couples were no longer eligible to enter the contest. At least one dancer from each couple had to be a local celebrity, not professionally trained to dance. A further change was that each couple only performed once. In 2007
each couple performed a ballroom or Latin routine followed by a freestyle dance incorporating national flavour; in the 2008 contest, couples only performed the latter. In 2008 a panel of experts was introduced with an approximate weight of 23% of the total outcome and the rest 77% determined through televoting. The highest possible points from the jury were 48 while the televoting cast a maximum of 156 points.
agreed to take part in 2008 when signing up for the first contest. However, Switzerland and Germany announced their withdrawals from 2008 edition of the contest due to low ratings and poor results in 2007.
The Spanish broadcaster announced its withdrawal on 20 August, just days before the contest took place. In July they held a national selection show Quiero Bailar
and named singer Rosa López
and dancer Nieto
as their representatives in the contest. According to the draw they were supposed to be 15th couple to perform.
As the number of dances was reduced, with each couple performing once instead of twice, new countries were allowed to enter the competition, but the only new country to enter the contest was Azerbaijan
.
Among the countries that broadcast the event without sending representatives were: Albania
, Armenia
, Belarus
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Cyprus
, FYR Macedonia, Iceland
, Israel
, Malta
and Spain
. Australia also broadcast the contest on 6 May 2009, as a lead up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
, on SBS
. This was the first time Australia has ever broadcast the Eurovision Dance Contest, after failing to broadcast the Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
, and was aired without any commentary.
and Greece
announced professional dance couples as their representatives at the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008. According to the regulations of the contest, professional couples were not allowed to take part in the competition. The EBU specified that the couple had to be composed of one professional (defined as a dancer who earns his or her living through dance and dance-related activities), and one non-professional known in a field other than dance. The non-professional was not required to be a celebrity, as long as he or she was known in his field, and it was also not a requirement that the non-professional had no dance experience. Since the representatives for Azerbaijan and Greece both consisted of two professional dancers, however, it is not clear why their entries were considered valid.
- Nicolaj Molbech & Jørgen de Mylius
(DR1
) - Leyla Əliyeva
- Michael Flatley
- Sirpa Suutari-Jääskö & Johanna Pirttilahti (YLE TV2
) - Lucille Wener & Cor van de Stroet (Nederland 1
) - TBC - Len Goodman
and Bruno Tonioli
(BBC One
) - Yana Churikova
& Stanislav Popov - Fotis Sergoulopoulos (NET
) - Isabel Angelino & Jorge Gabriel
(RTP1) - TBC - Pavlo Shylko (Non-participating country) - Leon Menkshi
(Non-participating country) - Felix Khacatryan & Hrachuhi Utmazyan (Non-participating country) - TBC (Non-participating country) - Dejan Kukrić (BHT1) (Non-participating country) - Melina Karageorgiou (RIK 2
) (Non-participating country) - Eva María Jónsdótttir (Non-participating country) - Eileen Montesin
(Non-participating country) - Joaquín Guzmán
Eurovision Dance Contest
The Eurovision Dance Contest was an international dancing competition that was held for the first time in the United Kingdom on Saturday 1 September 2007....
and was held in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, hosted by BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
on 6 September.
The winner of contest was Poland
Poland in the Eurovision Dance Contest
Poland took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Katarzyna Cichopek and Marcin Hakiel who won the series "Taniec z gwiazdami" represented the country. The dances that were performed at the contest were Cha-Cha-Cha and Showdance...
who achieved a score of 154 points. 2nd place went to Russia
Russia in the Eurovision Dance Contest
Russia took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The couple chosen to represent the country were Vladislav Borodinov & Maria Sittel. The dances they performed at the contest were Rumba and Paso Doble. Russia came seventh after receiving 72 points from 11 countries....
, 3rd place to Ukraine
Ukraine in the Eurovision Dance Contest
Ukraine took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Representing the country were Yulia Okropiridze, a student of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, and Illya Sydorenko, a professional in ballroom choreography. The dances they performed on the night were Quickstep and...
, 4th place to Lithuania
Lithuania in the Eurovision Dance Contest
Lithuania took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The couple representing the country was chosen by national selection, which started on 4 July and ended on 22 August. The couple chosen were Gabrielė Valiukaitė and Gintaras Svistunavičius winning the jury votes and the televoting....
and 5th place to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Dance Contest
Azerbaijan took part for the first time in the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2008 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Azerbaijan came in 5th place with 106 points, getting two 12 points from Lithuania and Poland....
who were participating for the first time.
In a change to the rules, professional couples were no longer eligible to enter the contest. At least one dancer from each couple had to be a local celebrity, not professionally trained to dance. A further change was that each couple only performed once. In 2007
Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
The Eurovision Dance Contest 2007 was the 1st Eurovision Dance Contest a dance entertainment co-production between the EBU and the BBC. The first ever pan-European dance competition was held on 1 September 2007 in London, United Kingdom with the participation of 16 countries...
each couple performed a ballroom or Latin routine followed by a freestyle dance incorporating national flavour; in the 2008 contest, couples only performed the latter. In 2008 a panel of experts was introduced with an approximate weight of 23% of the total outcome and the rest 77% determined through televoting. The highest possible points from the jury were 48 while the televoting cast a maximum of 156 points.
Participants
According to the 2007 rules Section 2.2 on the official website, all entrants in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2007Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
The Eurovision Dance Contest 2007 was the 1st Eurovision Dance Contest a dance entertainment co-production between the EBU and the BBC. The first ever pan-European dance competition was held on 1 September 2007 in London, United Kingdom with the participation of 16 countries...
agreed to take part in 2008 when signing up for the first contest. However, Switzerland and Germany announced their withdrawals from 2008 edition of the contest due to low ratings and poor results in 2007.
The Spanish broadcaster announced its withdrawal on 20 August, just days before the contest took place. In July they held a national selection show Quiero Bailar
Quiero Bailar
¡Quiero Bailar! is a Spanish television dance talent show contested by aspiring professional dancers with concept similar to So You Think You Can Dance. The show, which premiered on 14 June on TVE1, airs live every Saturday, originally on primetime, but it was relegated to late night due to its...
and named singer Rosa López
Rosa López
Rosa López, , is a Spanish singer. She came to fame in 2001 as part of the reality show "Operación Triunfo", she represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002. She has subsequently released five studio albums, an album on DVD and ten singles.She has been awarded several times throughout her...
and dancer Nieto
Nieto
The Spanish word "Nieto" means "grandson." It originated from a Jewish community initially meaning "favored among the elders." "Nieto" comes from a Jewish community in Spain. The Nieto lineage was a part of the killings of year 1492 in Spain where many Jews were given the option to convert to...
as their representatives in the contest. According to the draw they were supposed to be 15th couple to perform.
As the number of dances was reduced, with each couple performing once instead of twice, new countries were allowed to enter the competition, but the only new country to enter the contest was Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
.
Among the countries that broadcast the event without sending representatives were: Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, FYR Macedonia, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Australia also broadcast the contest on 6 May 2009, as a lead up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
, on SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
. This was the first time Australia has ever broadcast the Eurovision Dance Contest, after failing to broadcast the Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
The Eurovision Dance Contest 2007 was the 1st Eurovision Dance Contest a dance entertainment co-production between the EBU and the BBC. The first ever pan-European dance competition was held on 1 September 2007 in London, United Kingdom with the participation of 16 countries...
, and was aired without any commentary.
Participating countries
| Draw | Country | Competing dancers | Dance styles | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Danny Saucedo Danny Saucedo Danny Saucedo is a Swedish singer and songwriter often presented just as Danny, who competed as one of the finalists in Idol 2006 - the Swedish version of Idol where he got to the top 6 before being eliminated.Danny has released three music albums and eleven music singles... & Jeanette Carlsson |
Cha-Cha | 12 | 38 | |
| 02 | Dorian Steidl & Nicole Kuntner | Slowfox/Jive | 13 | 29 | |
| 03 | Patrick Spiegelberg & Katja Svensson | Samba/Tango/Paso Doble/Jazz Dance | 6 | 102 | |
| 04 | Eldar Dzhafarov & Anna Sazhina | Paso Doble/Rumba/Tango/Azeri Folk Dance | 5 | 106 | |
| 05 | Gavin Ó Fearraigh Gavin Ó Fearraigh Gavin Ó Fearraigh is an Irish-speaking actor and model from Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal, Ireland. He is most notable for his role as Conall Daly in the TG4 soap Ros na Rún . He came first in RTÉ's reality show Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels in 2007, All in Aid of his chosen charity Debra Ireland.Gavin was... & Dearbhla Lennon |
Paso Doble/Rumba/Hard Shoe Irish Dance | 11 | 40 | |
| 06 | Maria Lund Maria Lund Maria Francis is a British slalom canoeist who competed in the early 1990s. She was Women's K1 British Champion in 1989, Silver medalist at the 1990 Europa Cup in Merano, and went on to win a Bronze medal in the K1 team event at the 1993 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Mezzana. Maria is... & Mikko Ahti |
Tango | 10 | 44 | |
| 07 | Thomas Berge Thomas Berge Thomas Berge, pseudonym of Chiel Ottink , is a Dutch singer.-Biography:Thomas Berge released his first single at the age of twelve. The album, Mijn Luchtballon, sold 800,000 promotional copies and was distributed by Neckermann. His stage name was chosen with the German music market in mind... & Roemjana De Haan |
Rumba/Show Dance | 14 | 1 | |
| 08 | Karina Krysko & Saulius Skambinas | Rumba/Cha-Cha/Acrobatic Elements | 4 | 110 | |
| 09 | Louisa Lytton Louisa Lytton Louisa Lytton is an English actress born in Camden and living in Islington. She rose to fame in 2005 when joining EastEnders as Ruby Allen. After leaving EastEnders in late 2006, Lytton joined The Bill as PC Beth Green, who she played from May 2007 to March 2009. She also appeared on Strictly... & Vincent Simone Vincent Simone Vincent Simone is a professional dancer born in Italy. He moved to Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom when he was 17. His professional dancing partner is Flavia Cacace, and they perform under the brand name VincentandFlavia.-Early life:... |
Paso Doble/Jive/Tango | 9 | 47 | |
| 10 | Tatiana Navka Tatiana Navka Tatyana Aleksandrovna Navka is a Russian ice dancer who has also competed for the Soviet Union and Belarus... & Alexander Litvinenko |
Cha-Cha/Samba/Rumba/Paso Doble/Russian Folk Dance | 2 | 121 | |
| 11 | Jason Roditis & Tonia Kosovich | Latin dances | 7 | 72 | |
| 12 | Raquel Tavares Raquel Tavares Raquel Tavares is a singer of Fado. She was born in Lisbon. She had a normal route on her education, but finally decided she could not leave music behind.-Career:... & João Tiago João Tiago João Tiago Grácio Fernandes was born in 1985.- Career :He has practiced Ballroom dancing since the age of 10, and has represented his hometown of Entroncamento in competitions for 10 years, winning several titles, the highlights being 5 times Portuguese champion of Latin dance, 3 times Portuguese... |
Rumba/Tango | 8 | 61 | |
| 13 | Edyta Herbuś Edyta Herbus Edyta Herbuś ; born February 26, 1981 in Kielce, Poland) is a Polish dancer, model and actress. Edyta was the winner of the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 with partner Marcin Mroczek representing Poland.-Biography:... & Marcin Mroczek Marcin Mroczek - Biography :Marcin Mroczek was born on 18 July 1982 in Siedlce, Poland. He has a twin brother Rafał who is 7 minutes older. At the age of 10, Marcin joined the Modern Dance Team “Caro Dance” in Siedlce. Together with this team, he won multiple Polish and European championships... |
Rumba/Cha-Cha/Jazz Dance | 1 | 154 | |
| 14 | Lilia Podkopayeva Lilia Podkopayeva Lilia Alexandrivna Podkopayeva ; born August 15, 1978 in Donetsk) is a retired Ukrainian gymnast who became the 1996 Olympic all-around champion, the 1995 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships all-around champion and the 1996 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships all-around champion... & Sergey Kostetskiy |
Jive/Ukrainian Folk Dance/Rock'n'Roll | 3 | 119 |
Scoreboard
It is worth noting that, had the judges not been introduced (and thus only the televote been used), Poland would still have won the competition by 31 points.| Voters | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jury |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
 |
Sweden | 4 | X | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Austria | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Denmark | 48 | 8 | 7 | X | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Azerbaijan | 28 | 5 | 8 | 0 | X | 7 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 8 | ||
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | X | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| Finland | 12 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | X | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Lithuania | 32 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 5 | X | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 | ||
| United Kingdom | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | X | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Russia | 24 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 0 | X | 12 | 10 | 7 | 12 | ||
| Greece | 40 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | X | 6 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Portugal | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 7 | X | 5 | 6 | ||
| Poland | 20 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 8 | X | 10 | ||
| Ukraine | 16 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 10 | X | ||
12 points
The maximum twelve points awarded by each country (to the couple who had received the most phone votes) were allocated as follows:| 5 | Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... , Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... , Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... , The Netherlands, United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
| 3 | Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... , Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
| Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... , Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
|
| 2 | Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... |
Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
| 1 | Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
Results without the jury
- 1st
Poland - 134 - 2nd
Ukraine - 103 - 3rd
Russia - 97 - 4th
Azerbaijan - 78 - 4th
Lithuania - 78 - 6th
Portugal - 61 - 7th
Denmark - 54 - 8th
Republic of Ireland- 40 - 9th
United Kingdom - 39 - 10th
Sweden - 34 - 11th
Finland - 32 - 11th
Greece - 32 - 13th
Austria - 29 - 14th
Netherlands - 1
Controversy
AzerbaijanAzerbaijan in the Eurovision Dance Contest
Azerbaijan took part for the first time in the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2008 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Azerbaijan came in 5th place with 106 points, getting two 12 points from Lithuania and Poland....
and Greece
Greece in the Eurovision Dance Contest
Greece took take part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The couple representing the country were Ourania Kolliou and Spiros Pavlidis who were chosen internally. They performed Jive and Showdance dances at the contest. Because of the Greek forest fires, the event was not screened...
announced professional dance couples as their representatives at the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008. According to the regulations of the contest, professional couples were not allowed to take part in the competition. The EBU specified that the couple had to be composed of one professional (defined as a dancer who earns his or her living through dance and dance-related activities), and one non-professional known in a field other than dance. The non-professional was not required to be a celebrity, as long as he or she was known in his field, and it was also not a requirement that the non-professional had no dance experience. Since the representatives for Azerbaijan and Greece both consisted of two professional dancers, however, it is not clear why their entries were considered valid.
Commentators
- David Hellenius & Tony Irving (TV4) - Andi KnollAndi Knoll
Andreas Knoll is a Austrian Radio and television presenter.Since the 1999 Contest, Knoll following Ernst Grissemann has been the Austrian commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest and since 2002 Knoll has hosted the Austrian Heat for the Eurovision...
- Nicolaj Molbech & Jørgen de Mylius
Jørgen de Mylius
Jørgen de Mylius is a Danish radio and TV personality that is best known for his work in connection with the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix as a host and commentator...
(DR1
DR1
DR1 is a Danish national television channel, produced by the public service broadcaster, DR. It was the first television station to be established in Denmark, and began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day three times a week....
) - Leyla Əliyeva
Leyla Aliyeva
Leyla Aliyeva is an Azerbaijani author, social activist, youth campaigner and environmentalist.- Heydar Aliyev Foundation :...
- Michael Flatley
Michael Flatley
Michael Ryan Flatley is an American Irish dancer, choreographer, actor, musician and occasional television presenter. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger...
- Sirpa Suutari-Jääskö & Johanna Pirttilahti (YLE TV2
YLE TV2
YLE TV2 is a Finnish television channel owned and operated by YLE.TV2 launched in 1964, and broadcasts public service programming, children's, youth, sport and music programmes.-Own Productions:* Ajankohtainen kakkonen* Akuutti* Jopet Show* Kummeli...
) - Lucille Wener & Cor van de Stroet (Nederland 1
Nederland 1
Nederland 1 is the first national television station in the Netherlands, it was launched on 2 October 1951. It provides public broadcasting and currently exists next to sister channels Nederland 2 and 3. The several broadcasting organisations of the Publieke Omroep deliver programmes. A wide...
) - TBC - Len Goodman
Len Goodman
Leonard Gordon 'Len' Goodman is a British professional ballroom dancer, dance judge, and coach. He is a leading personality on television dance programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars and runs a ballroom dance school in Dartford, Kent.-Early life and career:Goodman was...
and Bruno Tonioli
Bruno Tonioli
Bruno Tonioli is an Italian choreographer and TV personality who appears as a judge on the television dance competition Strictly Come Dancing for BBC TV in the UK, and its American adaptation Dancing with the Stars on ABC TV in the US, Tonioli co-created and appeared on the BBC talent show DanceX...
(BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
) - Yana Churikova
Yana Churikova
Yana Churikova is a Russian journalist and television host who worked on MTV Russia before moving to Channel One, where she hosted seven seasons of the Star Factory show. She has also gained publicity across Europe and the world for presenting the results of the Russian televote at the Eurovision...
& Stanislav Popov - Fotis Sergoulopoulos (NET
New Hellenic Television
New Hellenic Television , branded as NET, is the second television network of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation , the public broadcaster of Greece. It is mainly a news and information channel that broadcasts daily newscasts with national and international news, documentaries, talkshows, current...
) - Isabel Angelino & Jorge Gabriel
Jorge Gabriel
Jorge Gabriel Mendes Fialho, simply referred to as Jorge Gabriel, is a Portuguese TV host. The TV shows presented by him included Quem Quer Ser Milionário? , Praça da Alegria, O Preço Certo em Euros , O Cofre and Sabe Mais do...
(RTP1) - TBC - Pavlo Shylko (Non-participating country) - Leon Menkshi
Leon Menkshi
Leon Menkshi is a famous Albanian TV personality. Leon is a professional Journalist and one of Albania's outstanding and charming news anchors; he is also known as a radio host and interviewer...
(Non-participating country) - Felix Khacatryan & Hrachuhi Utmazyan (Non-participating country) - TBC (Non-participating country) - Dejan Kukrić (BHT1) (Non-participating country) - Melina Karageorgiou (RIK 2
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation
The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation ) or CyBC is Cyprus's public broadcasting service, transmitting island-wide on four radio and two television channels. CyBC is a non-profit organization that utilises its entire income for the promotion of its main mission, which is the objective provision of...
) (Non-participating country) - Eva María Jónsdótttir (Non-participating country) - Eileen Montesin
Eileen Montesin
Eileen Montesin is a Maltese actor and television personality who appeared on Super One television's Undercover and KC....
(Non-participating country) - Joaquín Guzmán
Joaquín Guzmán
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera nicknamed "El Chapo" for his stature, is a Mexican drug lord who heads Mexico's and the world's largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization referred to as the Sinaloa Cartel, named after the Mexican Pacific coast state of Sinaloa where it was initially...